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Thursday, November 3, 2016

The Most Holy Rosary: Antidote Against Heresy

The Most Holy Rosary: Antidote Against Heresy

by St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori taken from The
Glories of Mary

It is well known that the devotion of
the Rosary was revealed to St. Dominic by the Blessed Mother Herself.
This occurred at a time when the
saint was troubled and bemoaning to Our Lady the fact that the Albigensian
heretics were doing a great deal of harm to the Church. The Blessed Virgin said
to him: “This land will always be sterile until rain falls on it.” St. Dominic
was then given to understand that this rain would be devotion to the Rosary,
which he was to propagate.

This he proceeded to do, preaching
the new devotion everywhere until it was embraced by Catholics all over the
world. So successful was he, that even today there is no devotion more widely
practiced by the faithful of all classes than the recitation of the Rosary.
What is there that heretics — Calvin, Bucer, and others — have not
said to discredit the use of the beads? But the extraordinary good that this
precious devotion has brought to the world is too well known. How many souls
have been delivered from sin by means of the Rosary! How many have been
converted to a holy life; how many have died a good death and are now saved! To
be convinced of this, all we have to do is read any of the numerous books on
the subject.
It is enough to know that this
devotion has been approved by the Church and that the sovereign pontiffs have
enriched it with many indulgences. Principal among these is the plenary
indulgence which may be gained when the Rosary is recited in the presence of
the Blessed Sacrament, either exposed or in the tabernacle, provided one goes
to confession and receives Holy Communion.1
The Rosary should be recited as
devoutly as possible. And here we may call to mind what the Blessed Virgin said
to St. Eulalia: that She was more pleased with five decades said slowly and
devoutly than with fifteen said in a hurry and with little devotion. It is well
to say the Rosary kneeling, before an image of the Blessed Virgin; and before
each decade, to make an act of love to Jesus and Mary, and to ask Them for some
special grace. It is also preferable to say it with others rather than
alone.
The Little Office of the Blessed
Virgin is said to have been composed by St. Peter Damian.2 Many
indulgences have been granted to those who recite it, and the Blessed Virgin
has shown many times how pleasing this devotion is to Her. This is brought out
especially in the little work by Father Auriemma.
Mary likewise is very much honored
when we recite the Litany of Loreto which is also indulgenced. The hymn Ave
maris stella pleases Her too. She recommended that St. Bridget recite it
every day. The canticle Magnificat is very dear to Her because these are
the very words She Herself used to praise God.

Fasting

Many who are devoted to Mary honor
Her by fasting on bread and water on Saturdays and the vigils of Her
feasts.
Holy Church dedicates Saturday to the
Blessed Virgin because, as St. Bernard says, on the day after the death of Her
Son She remained steadfast in Her faith. That is why we honor Her on that day
by some particular devotion. For example, we may fast on bread and water, as
St. Charles Borromeo, Cardinal Toledo, and many others did. Nithard, Bishop of
Bamberg, and Father Joseph Arriaga, S.J., preferred to eat nothing at all on
Saturday.
Father Auriemma describes in his
little book many of the graces the Mother of God had dispensed to those who
follow this practice. One example will suffice: There was a famous leader of a
band of robbers who did not die when his head was cut off but remained living
until he could make his confession because the poor man was in a state of sin.
After confession he announced that the Blessed Virgin had granted this great
favor because of this devotion. Then he expired.
It would not be a very great burden
for one who claims to have a special devotion to Mary to offer Her this fast on
Saturdays, particularly if he has already deserved hell on account of his sins.
I maintain that those who follow this practice can hardly be lost. I do not
mean to say, of course, that if they reach the point of death in mortal sin the
Blessed Virgin will deliver them by a miracle, as She did the bandit. These are
prodigies of divine mercy which occur very rarely, and it would be the height
of folly to expect eternal salvation by means such as these. But I do maintain
that Mary will make perseverance in God’s grace easy for those who
practice this devotion, and will obtain a good death for them.
All the members of our humble
Congregation, who are able to do so, practice this devotion. I say those who
are able to do so. For if health does not permit it, we should at least content
ourselves with something less on Saturday, or observe an ordinary fast, or
abstain from fruit, or something that we particularly like.
All the faithful should try to
practice some special devotion to the Mother of God on Saturday, such as
receiving Holy Communion, hearing Mass, visiting a shrine dedicated to Mary,
wearing a haircloth or something of that sort. On the vigils of Her seven
principal feasts, they could profitably make the attempt to fast, or to do
whatever their health allows.

Visiting
Mary’s Shrines

Father Segneri says that the devil
could think of no better way to make good his losses from the destruction of
idolatry than by goading the heretics on to attack sacred images. But Holy
Church has defended images even with the blood of martyrs. And the Blessed
Mother has proved by miracles how pleasing to Her are visits paid to Her
shrines.
St. John Damascene had his hand cut
off for daring to defend the icons of Mary by his writings, but Our Lady
miraculously restored it to him. Father Spinelli relates that in Constantinople
a veil covering a picture of the Blessed Virgin used to draw itself aside every
Saturday, and then after Vespers closed again of its own accord. The veil over
a picture of Our Blessed Lady that St. John of the Cross used to visit was once
withdrawn the same way. The sacristan, thinking that the saint was a robber,
kicked him, but his foot at once withered.
Lovers of Mary are fond of visiting
shrines and churches dedicated in Her honor. St. John Damascene calls these
places “cities of refuge” where we can be safe from temptation and the
punishment we have deserved for our sins. The first thing that the Emperor St.
Henry used to do on entering a city was to visit a church dedicated to Mary.
Father Thomas Sanchez would never return home without having visited some
church named after Her.
Let us therefore not regard it as too
much of a burden to visit our Queen every day in some church or chapel, or even
in our own home, where we can have a quiet place set aside as a little oratory,
with Her statue or picture which we can keep decorated with drapery, flowers,
candles or lights. Before it we should recite the litany, rosary, and other
prayers. For this purpose I have published a little book (available from Our
Lady’s Book Service) of visits to the Blessed Sacrament as well as to the
Blessed Virgin, for every day in the month.3 A devout client of Mary
could also arrange to have one of Her feasts celebrated in a church or chapel
with greater solemnity than it would otherwise be — perhaps by having it
preceded by a novena, with exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, and even with
sermons.
May I here relate a fact recorded by
Father Spinelli in his book Miracles of the Madonna. In the year 1611,
on the vigil of Pentecost, an immense crowd of people had gathered at the
celebrated shrine of Mary at Montevergine. While the people were profaning the
feast with dances, drunkenness, and immodest acts, a fire suddenly broke out in
the hall, and in less than an hour and a half the building was reduced to ashes
and more than fifteen hundred persons perished.
Five people who escaped swore that
they had seen the Mother of God Herself set fire to the place with two torches.
I implore all lovers of Mary, therefore, to keep far away from such places on
Her feasts and, if they are able to do so, to prevent others from going there.
Such occasions afford more honor to the devil than they do to the Blessed
Virgin. Let those who are devoted to the Blessed Mother visit Her shrines, to
be sure, but not as an occasion for merrymaking and sin.

The
Scapular

In bygone days the servants of famous
people were distinguished by the fact that they wore the livery or distinctive
garb of their masters. The servants of Mary too can be distinguished by the
fact that they wear Her livery, namely, Her scapular, as a sign that they have
dedicated themselves to Her service and that they are members of the household
of the Mother of God. Heretics, as a rule, ridicule this devotion. But Holy
Church has approved it by many bulls and indulgences. Fathers Crasset and
Lezzana, in their accounts of the scapular of Mount Carmel, relate that in the
year 1251 the Blessed Virgin appeared to St. Simon Stock, an Englishman, and
gave him the scapular, telling him that all who wore it would be saved from
eternal damnation. She said: “Receive, My son, this scapular of your Order, the
badge of My confraternity, a privilege granted to you and to all Carmelites.
Whoever dies while wearing this will not suffer hell-fire.”
Father Crasset also relates that Mary
appeared to Pope John XXII and commanded him to make it known that all who wear
this Brown Scapular will be delivered from purgatory on the Saturday after
their death.4 He declared this in a bull which was later confirmed
by Alexander V, Clement VII, and other popes. Pope Paul V, as we have already
remarked, clarified the bulls of his predecessors, and set out the conditions
that must be observed in order to gain the promised privilege. These conditions
are: that each one should observe the chastity required of his state of
life5 and that he should recite the Little Office of the Blessed
Virgin.6 If a person is unable to read, he should at least observe
the fasts of the Church and abstain from meat on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
The indulgences attached to the
scapular of Mount Carmel, as well as those attached to the scapulars of the
Seven Sorrows of Our Lady, of the Blessed Trinity, and especially of the
Immaculate Conception, are innumerable — both partial and plenary —
during life and at the hour of death. I have made it a point to be invested in
all these scapulars. It is worth knowing that the scapular of the Immaculate
Conception which is blessed by the Theatine Fathers, enjoys many special
indulgences.7

Confraternities of Our Blessed
Lady8

Some disapprove of confraternities
because they say they give rise to quarrels, and because many join them for
purely social reasons. But just as we do not condemn churches and sacraments
just because there are many who make a wrong use of them, so neither should we
condemn confraternities. The supreme pontiffs, far from condemning them, have
approved and highly commended them, and have enriched them with many
indulgences.
St. Francis de Sales earnestly
exhorts the laity to join them. St. Charles Borromeo spared no pains to
establish and increase the number of these confraternities. In his synods he
particularly recommends that confessors urge their penitents to join them. And
with good reason. For sodalities, and especially those of Our Blessed Lady, are
like so many Noe’s arks, in which the laity may find a refuge from the
deluge of temptations and sins which inundate the world. From our experience
with missions we are well aware of the benefits of such institutions. As a
rule, a person who does not attend the meetings of some spiritual society
commits more sins than twenty who do attend them. A confraternity can well be
called a tower of David; a thousand bucklers hang upon it — all the
shields of valiant men (Cant. 4:4). The reason such societies do so much
good is that the members acquire many defensive weapons against hell, and are
provided with the means for preserving divine grace. Those who are not members
of confraternities use these weapons and resources only rarely.
1. In the first place, one means of
salvation is meditation on the eternal truths: Remember thy last end, and
thou shalt never sin (Ecclus. 7:40). How many people are lost because they
neglect to do this! With desolation is all the land made desolate; because
there is none that considereth in his heart (Jer. 12:11). Those who attend
the meetings of their society, on the other hand, are led to think of these
truths by the many meditations, lectures, and sermons that they hear: My
sheep hear My voice (Jn. 10:27).
2. To save one’s soul, prayer is
necessary: Ask, and you shall receive (Jn. 16:24). This is what the
members of confraternities are constantly doing. God hears their prayers more
willingly because He Himself has said that He grants graces willingly to all
those who pray in common: Iftwo of you shall agree on earth about
anything at all for which they ask, it shall be done for them by My Father
(Mt. 18:19). Commenting on this, St. Ambrose says: “Many who are
individually weak become strong when united, and it is impossible that the
prayers of so many should not be heard.”
3. Confraternities are likely to
encourage persons to frequent the sacraments, both by reason of the rules and
because of the example set by the other members. Perseverance in grace is
obtained more easily. The Council of Trent has declared that Holy Communion is
an antidote which frees us from daily faults and preserves us from mortal
sins.
4. Besides frequenting the
sacraments, the members of these societies also perform acts of mortification,
humility, and charity toward sick brethren and toward the poor. It would be
well if this practice of aiding the sick and poor were extended to all the
confraternities.
It would also be very profitable to
introduce the custom of having private confraternities of the more devout
brethren in honor of the Blessed Mother. I will briefly describe here the
exercises which such groups are accustomed to practice: 1. They make a
half-hour’s spiritual reading. 2. Vespers and Compline of the Holy Spirit
are said in common. 3. The litanies of the Blessed Virgin are recited, during
which the members perform some act of mortification. 4. They meditate for a
quarter of an hour on the Passion of Jesus Christ. 5. Each one accuses himself
of transgressions against the rules, and receives an appropriate penance from
the Father Confessor. 6. One of the brethren designated for this purpose reads
the list of mortifications performed the preceding week, and then an
announcement is made of coming novenas, etc. The meeting is closed with some
form of external penance during which the Miserere and the Salve
are recited, and then each member approaches and kisses the feet of our
crucified Savior, placed at the foot of the altar.9
The rules could then provide that
each member should: 1. Make some mental prayer every day. 2. Visit the Blessed
Sacrament and the Blessed Virgin. 3. Examine his conscience every night. 4.
Read something spiritually edifying. 5. Avoid worldly pursuits. 6. Receive Holy
Communion frequently and perform some act of mortification regularly. 7. Pray
for the souls in purgatory and for sinners every day. 8. Visit some sick
members.
5. We have already noted how
profitable it is for our salvation to serve the Mother of God. But what else do
the members of confraternities do except serve Her? They praise Her. They offer
prayers to Her. Members are consecrated to Her service the moment they join the
society. They choose Her in a special way as their patroness and protectress.
Their names are inscribed in the book of the children of Mary. Every member of
a confraternity of Mary can justly say: Allgood things together come
to me in Her company (Wis. 7:11).
Let each member however pay attention
to two things: First of all, the object he should have in view above all else
should be to serve God and His Mother Mary, and to save his own soul. Second,
he should not allow worldly interests to interfere with his attendance at the
regular meetings. What is discussed there is the most important business in the
world for him, namely, his eternal salvation. He should also try to induce as
many others as he can to join the confraternity, and especially to bring back
to active membership those who have lapsed.
What drastic punishments the Lord has
inflicted on those who have abandoned the confraternity of Our Blessed Lady
without reason! There is a story told of a man in Naples who did so. When he
was urged to return, he answered: “I will do so when my legs are broken and my
head is cut off.” Without knowing it, he had made a prophecy. Not long
afterward, certain enemies of his broke his legs and cut off his head.
On the other hand, Mary looks after
all the needs of the members who persevere. All Her domestics are clothed
with double garments (Prov. 31:21). Father Auriemma tells of many special
graces granted by Mary to members of confraternities, especially at the moment
of death. Father Crasset gives the account of a young man who lay dying in the
year 1586. He fell asleep, but afterwards awoke and said to his confessor:
“Father, I was almost damned, but Our Blessed Lady saved me. The devils
presented my sins before Our Lord’s tribunal, and they were preparing to
drag me off to hell. But the Blessed Virgin came and said to them: ‘Where
are you taking this young man? You have nothing to do with this servant of Mine
who has served Me so long in My confraternity.’ When the devils heard
this, they fled, and I was delivered from them.” The same author tells about
another member who also had a great battle with hell at the hour of death. But
finally, having won the victory, he exclaimed: “What a blessing it is to belong
to Mary’s confraternity!" Filled with consolation, he expired.
Father Crasset gives another example.
When the Duke of Popoli was dying in Naples, he said to his son: “Son, you know
that I attribute what little good I have done during my life to membership in
the confraternity. I can leave you no more valuable treasure than the
confraternity of Mary. I consider myself luckier to have been a sodalist than
Duke of Popoli.”

Almsgiving

Servants of Mary are accustomed to
give alms to the poor in honor of Our Blessed Lady, especially on
Saturdays.
St. Gregory tells in his Dialogues
about a holy shoemaker named Deusdedit who used to distribute to the poor
on Saturdays whatever he had left of his week’s earnings. A privileged
soul once saw in a vision a gorgeous palace which God was preparing in Heaven
for Deusdedit, but it was being built only on Saturdays.
St. Gerard the Martyr never refused
anything that anyone ever asked for in the name of Mary. Father Martin
Guttierez, S.J., followed the same practice, and later admitted that he had
never asked Mary for a single grace which he had not obtained. When this
servant of Hers was put to death by the Huguenots, Mary appeared to his
companions, accompanied by virgins who, at Her direction, wrapped his body in
linen and carried it away.
St. Eberhard, Bishop of Salzburg,
also gave alms in honor of Our Lady, and a holy monk once saw him as a child in
the arms of Mary who said: “This is My son Eberhard, who has never denied Me
anything.” Alexander of Hales, who followed the same practice, was once asked
by a Franciscan brother to join the Order in the name of Mary. He complied at
once, gave up the world, and became a friar.
Let no servant of Mary therefore
think it too much of a burden to give some alms every day in Her honor, no
matter how trifling the amount, and to increase this on Saturdays. If he can do
nothing else, he should at least perform some charitable act for the love of
Mary, such as visiting the sick, praying for sinners, or for the souls in
purgatory, etc. Works of mercy like these are very pleasing to the heart of the
Mother of mercy.

Frequent Recourse
to Mary

No devotion is more pleasing to Our
Blessed Mother than that of calling upon Her in all our special needs. For
example, when we have to give or ask for advice, or when we are beset by
dangers, afflictions and temptations, most particularly temptations against
purity. Mary will certainly listen to us and help us if we appeal to Her and
recite the antiphon “We fly to Thy patronage …”; or if we recite the Hail
Mary, or even if we merely invoke the most holy name of Mary, which is
endowed with special power against devils.
Blessed Fra Santi, the Franciscan,
was once tempted with an impure thought and appealed to Mary. She immediately
appeared to him, placed Her hand on his shoulder and delivered him. It is also
useful on these occasions to kiss or press to our heart our rosary or scapular,
or to look at an image of the Blessed Virgin. And it is well to note that the
Church has enriched with special indulgences the invocation of the sacred names
of Jesus, Mary and Joseph.

Other Practices
in Honor of Mary

1. To say or hear Mass, or to have
Mass offered in honor of the Blessed Virgin. It is true that the Holy Sacrifice
can be offered to God alone. It is offered to Him principally as an
acknowledgment of His supreme dominion. But the Council of Trent says that this
does not prevent Mass from being offered at the same time in thanksgiving for
the graces granted to the saints and to our Blessed Mother, so that while we
are mindful of them they may intercede for us. That is why at Mass we say:
“That it may avail to Their honor, but also to our salvation.”
Our Blessed Lady personally revealed
to a holy soul that this devotion of offering the Mass, as well as the saying
of the Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory be to the Father three
times, in honor of the Holy Trinity and in thanksgiving for the graces granted
to Her, are very pleasing to Her. Since the Blessed Virgin is unable to thank
Our Lord adequately for all the precious gifts He has given Her, She is very
glad when Her children help Her to thank God.
2. To have a special devotion to the
saints who are more closely related to Mary, such as St. Joseph, St. Joachim,
and St. Anne. The Blessed Virgin Herself recommended to a certain nobleman
devotion toward Her mother, St. Anne. It is well also to honor the saints who
were most devoted to the Blessed Mother, such as St. John the Evangelist, St.
John the Baptist, St. Bernard, St. John Damascene, the defender of Her images,
St. Ildephonsus, the defender of Her virginity, and others.
3. Daily read a book that deals with
the glories of Mary. Try to instill into all, particularly those close to us, a
devotion to the Mother of God. The Blessed Virgin once said to St. Bridget:
“See to it that your children are also My children.” It is commendable to pray
every day for those most devoted to Mary, both living and
dead.10
I omit many devotions which may be
found in other books, such as the devotion of the seven joys of Mary, of the
twelve privileges of Mary, and the like. I conclude with the beautiful words of
St. Bernardine of Siena:
"O Lady, blessed among all women, You
are the glory of the human race, the salvation of all our people. Your merits
are limitless, and You have power over all creation. You are the Mother of God,
the sovereign Lady of the world, and the Queen of Heaven. You are the dispenser
of all graces, and the ornament of Holy Church. You are the model of the just,
the consolation of the pious, and the root of our salvation. You are the joy of
paradise, the gate of Heaven, the glory of God. We have been happy to sing Your
praises. We beg You, O Mother of Mercy, to make up for our weakness, to excuse
our presumption, to accept our devotion, to bless our labors. Imprint Your love
in the hearts of all of us, so that after having loved and honored Your Son on
earth, we may with You praise Him and bless Him forever in Heaven. Amen."Footnotes:(1) St. Alphonsus enumerates the indulgences in his day. See current indulgences in Enchiridion Indulgentiarum.(2) St. Peter Damian did not compose the Little Office but ardently propagated its use.(3) St. Alphonsus’ Visits to the Blessed Sacrament and to the Blessed Virgin Mary are in 65 languages.(4) This is called the “Sabbatine privilege.”(5) Should anyone fall into a sin of unchastity and subsequestly
regain God’s grace through perfect contrition or confression, that
person again qualifies as one observing the chastity required of his
state of life.(6) Thous ound to the daily recitation of the Canonical Hours satisfy this condition by their recitation of the Divine Office.(7) Those scapulars and the Passion Scapular are referred to as the “5 scapulars.”(8) Pertains to membership in Sodality, the Legion of Mary, the Rosary Sciety, etc.(9) Practices recommended here may seem unusual today but were not uncommon in St. Alphonsus’ day.(10) St. Alphonsus lists numerous indulgences granted in his time
for popular Marian devotions. A revision of these may be found in any
approved book of indulgences.

The Rosary, Arm of Peace

by Father P. Leite, S. J.

The following article1 written by Father Leite,
S.J., was published in the March-April 1993 issue of "Christ to the
World" with the imprimatur of the Vicarate of Rome. It is most
appropriate today considering the many imminent moral and physical
dangers that threaten each of us. (For more about these dangers see
other articles in this issue. For example see pages 11, 18, 27 and 40).The eminent appeal of the Rosary is well expressed by St.
Anthony Mary Claret who writes: "The ancient peoples of the East had a
practice of offering rose-wreaths to be worn as crowns, to distinguished
persons; and true Christians have the praiseworthy practice of offering
each day with great devotion the crown of Marian roses to their beloved
Mother, the Blessed Virgin. Such was the practice of St. Louis King of
France, St. Vincent de Paul, St. Charles Borromeo, the great Bossuet,
Fenelon, St. Francis de Sales, St. Francis Xavier, and others. Ever
since the year 1208, during which the glorious St. Dominic taught people
to pray it daily, there has not been a Saint nor any person
distinguished for learning and virtue, nor an observant religious
community, nor a well-ordered seminary, which has not had the devotion
to the Rosary." (Taken from St. Anthony Mary Claret's "El Collegial
Instruido" Barcelona 1865, 1:258).

Our Lady Promoted the Rosary Six Times at Fatima

Our Lady appeared six times at Fatima. During each of these
apparitions She requested that we allow no day to pass without reciting
the Rosary. Three times She indicated that the recitation of the Rosary
is a needed way to obtain peace:
"Recite the Rosary every day to obtain peace for the world and the end of the war" (May 13, 1917).
She wanted everyone to continue saying the Rosary every day in honor
of Our Lady of the Rosary, "in order to obtain peace for the world and
the end of the war," because She said that only She can help you (July
13, 1917).
"Everyone should continue to recite the Rosary in order to obtain the end of the war" (September 13, 1917).
The facts - old as well as new - show that the Rosary is truly the arm of peace.

It Defeated the Albigensian Heresy

In the Thirteenth Century a terrible danger threatened the Catholic
Church, especially in the south of France: the Albigensian heresy. The
Albigensians2 are more dangerous than the Moors, declared Pope Innocent II.
At the request of the Pope, the Christians of north France organized a
crusade for the defense of the Faith, but events did not at first favor
them. St. Dominic propagated the Rosary, and victory did not have to be
long awaited. The Battle of Muret, near Toulouse, took place on
September 12, 1213. There 2,000 Christian soldiers vanquished 100,000
men of the Albigensian army.
To whom was this resounding victory over heresy attributed? Simon of
Montfort, head of the Crusaders' army, did not hesitate to attribute it
to Our Lady of the Rosary. Thus he erected on the very place of the
victory a chapel under the name of Our Lady of the Rosary.
On September 29, 1937, Pope Pius XI wrote: "We strongly desire that
during the next month of October the Holy Rosary be recited with an
increase in devotion by all Christians ... May She who victoriously cast
the terrible sect of the Albigensians from the frontiers of Christian
peoples be invoked and implored to dissipate the new errors of our
times, and in particular those of the Communists who, for more than one
reason, and by their perversity, bring to mind those ancient heresies.
As in the time of the Crusades, one common supplication was lifted up
from all of Europe, amongst all her peoples, so also today may all in
the world, in cities, in towns, in villages, be united in desire by one
same effort, to seek by unceasing prayers to obtain the favor from the
powerful Mother of God that the destroyers of Christian and human
civilization be overcome and that true peace shine over the afflicted
and upset nations" (Encyclical Ingravescentibus malis).

Through It Mary Won the Battle of Lepanto

In 1571 the Moslems strove to take revenge for the defeats suffered
in the West during the preceding centuries, especially in Portugal and
Spain. They wanted to attack Europe, coming from the Near East.
Christendom was seriously menaced.
Pope St. Pius V especially saw the danger. He saw that it was not
simply a struggle between rival nations but a menace for the Catholic
Faith in the West. Thus he worked for a spiritual and temporal
mobilization of the faithful. In particular, he asked that on the First
Sunday in October of the year 1517, the Holy Rosary be honored by its
recitation and by processions of confraternities, in order to implore
from Our Lady the help which was necessary for the Christians.
At the same time a Christian fleet commanded by John of Austria, son
of Charles V and brother of Philip II, headed towards the Near East. It
was the wish of the Holy Father that each combatant be provided with a
Rosary and that he promise to recite it in order to obtain the
protection of Mary.
On Sunday, October 7, the Christian and Turkish fleets met in Lepanto
Gulf, off the coast of Greece. The bitter battle which lasted all
afternoon finished with a brilliant victory of the Christians. That very
evening St. Pius V had at Rome a clear knowledge of this success. The
same afternoon, the Confraternities of the Rosary, particularly in Rome,
had marched through the streets in procession reciting the Rosary.
This victory put an end to the naval power of the Turks and saved
Christian Europe. St. Pius V attributed this victory to the Rosary more
than to armed forces and he ordered that the invocation, "Help of
Christians, pray for us" be added to the Litany of the Blessed Virgin.
Moreover, he established a feast to celebrate the 7th of October every
year, in thanksgiving for the victory, under the title of "Our Lady of
Victory".
His successor, Gregory XIII, instituted the Solemnity of the Holy
Rosary, to be celebrated every year on the First Sunday of the month of
October in order to bring to mind this victory.
On May 10, 1955, Pope Pius XII said: "The name given to Our Lady of
'Queen of the Most Holy Rosary' brings to mind, without any doubt, a
great victory won over the infidels; but even more it brings to mind the
conquests of the Faith over evil and religious ignorance."
Monsignor Francisco Rendeoriro, O.P., wrote: "It is especially since
the victory of Lepanto that the faithful have become accustomed to
invoking Mary by the means of the Holy Rosary at times of public
calamity."

It Was An Instrument of Grace for Austria

There is in central Europe only one small country which is entirely
free: Austria. This is an extraordinary fact if we remember that Austria
was occupied by the Russians in 1945, at the end of the Second World
War. In 1954 one of the supreme heads of Russia even declared: "That
which we occupy we shall never abandon."
But Austria was liberated. Why? How did the Russians abandon it
without war, without the use of force, even though it was but a small,
unarmed nation?
The reply must be sought in the power of the Rosary. Austria has
about ten million inhabitants. One million of them, with Chancellor Figl
at the head, promised to recite the Rosary every day. On May 13, 1955,
the anniversary day of the first apparition at Fatima, the Russians
decided to leave Austria.
Therese Neuman, the great stigmatized German mystic, who was
nourished by the Blessed Sacrament alone for ten years, said a short
time before her death: "Certainly it was the prayers and the Rosaries of
the Austrian people which merited its liberation." Even today the
unforeseen liberation after ten years of Russian occupation is
astonishing.
In September 1972, an Austrian bishop, speaking before the entire
episcopate of the country, as well as more than 30,000 people, on the
occasion of the 25th Anniversary of the Reparation Rosary, declared:
"Just as Austria was freed from the Communist yoke by the fervent
recitation of the Rosary, it will be in like manner by the arm of the
Rosary that the world will be freed from the present assaults of the
devil and his associates."
If we recite the Rosary Our Lady will give us true liberty and peace.

Through it Mary Protected Brazil

In 1964 Brazil was in a very dangerous state. One journalist wrote:
"Communism's hold on Brazil seemed imminent. However, it did not come
about, thanks to the strength of the Rosary."
This is what happened. The entire public life of the country was
openly directed towards Marxism by the authorities, and this as much in
politics as in the economy and public instruction. Nothing worse could
be imagined. The errors of Marxism were even introduced into the clergy.
In the young clergy there are sometimes confusions of an ideological
nature. It was this confused clergy who was responsible for allowing the
Marxists to take hold of the Catholic Youth Movement.
But the people remained sensible. They reacted and began to recite
the Rosary. First of all, the simple and pious women started alone. The
men and young lads followed. Television recorded and showed programs
where women could be seen opposing the Communists. It is this which
saved Brazil at the Last moment: the recitation of the Rosary.
In July 1964, the promoter of the Marian Confraternities of Brazil,
Father Valerio Alberton, went to Fatima to thank the Most Blessed Virgin
for the liberation of his country. This is what he said and wrote.
We have overcome, thanks to Our Lady of the Rosary. It is the message
of Fatima, lived in Brazil, which just saved us in time ... The
situation in my country was very serious. Every aspect of human activity
was undermined. The key positions were in the hands of notorious
Communists, or those in favor of Communism. The unions were mostly
controlled by them.
Continual strikes, many of which were of an openly political nature,
provoked disturbances everywhere. The universities themselves were
affected. I noticed myself the seriousness of the situation when I
travelled from November 1963 to March 1964 to all the capital cities of
Brazil, where I was in contact with the university milieux. In the
middle of March I finished my travels with this conclusion: it is a fact
that the Church has lost the universities ...
The penetration in the Catholic faculties was very profound. Even in
our colleges there were Communist cell groups ... Catholic associations
were not spared.
There remained only one hope: devotion to the Blessed Virgin ...

Repeated calls for prayer and penance, according to the spirit of
Fatima, brought the Faith back to life - the Faith which moves
mountains. Thus the impossible came to pass: the miracle of a war won
without any drop of bloodshed.
The contra-revolutionary high command foresaw at least three months
of bitter fighting. But a force which was inexplicable, humanly
speaking, made the whole military organization collapse - an
organization which had been patiently and diabolically built up over
several years collapsed, like a house of cards.
The evidence of the working of grace was such that all were convinced
that this could have no human explanation. Military and civil heads of
the contra-revolution were almost unanimous in attributing this victory
to a special grace of the Blessed Virgin. Many declared that the Rosary
had been the decisive arm.
Faced with this perilous situation, Catholic associations had put all
their efforts in the service of the Blessed Virgin. Two hundred
thousand men and lads, enrolled in the 2,000 Marian congregations, had
formed a true pacifying army in the struggle for freedom.
Women had given the example by their courage and confidence in Our
Lady. They contributed enormously to the failure of the Marxist
Revolution of 1964. They, and their children, distributed thousands of
brochures with this supplication: "Mother of God, protect us and spare
us from new sufferings ..." Women passed in the streets, reciting the
Rosary out loud and singing songs. On March 17, 1964, the "March of the
Family for Freedom, with the Help of God", was organized.
Every week, the Cardinal Archbishop of Rio de Janeiro put Catholics
on their guard, demanding of them prayer and penance according to the
spirit of Fatima, in order to obtain the mercy of God by the
intercession of Our Lady.
While it is true that many problems remain in this great country, it
is equally true that on March 31, 1964, without armed conflict, and
without any blood being spilt, the hour of freedom and peace sounded.Footnotes:1. This article originally was published in The Laity: Journal of Christian Thought and Action, Oct.-Nov. 1992, Madras, India, which was edited by Victor Kulanday (R.I.P.).2. The Encyclopedia Britannica (1962 ed.,
s.v. "Albigenses") attributes a doctrine to the Albigensians which is
quite immoral and anti-social: "At all events they were free from all
moral prohibition and all religious obligation on condition that they
promised by an act called convenenza to become "hereticized" by receiving the consolamentum, the baptism of the Spirit ..."

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Archbishop Lefebvre

“This Second Vatican Council Reform, since it has issued from Liberalism and from Modernism, is entirely corrupt; it comes from heresy and results in heresy, even if all its acts are not formally heretical. It is thus impossible for any faithful Catholic who is aware of these things to adopt this Reform, or to submit to it in any way at all. To ensure our salvation, the only attitude of fidelity to the Church and to Catholic doctrine, is a categorical refusal to accept the Reform.”

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Archbishop Lefebvre

“And we have the precise conviction that this new rite of Mass expresses a new faith, a faith which is not ours, a faith which is not the Catholic Faith. This New Mass is a symbol, is an expression, is an image of a new faith, of a Modernist faith. ….Now it is evident that the new rite, if I may say so, supposes another conception of the Catholic religion-another religion.”

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Archbishop Lefebvre

That Conciliar Church is a schismatic Church, because it breaks with the Catholic Church that has always been. It has its new dogmas, its new priesthood, its new institutions, its new worship, all already condemned by the Church in many a document, official and definitive.... The Church that affirms such errors is at once schismatic and heretical. This Conciliar Church is, therefore, not Catholic. To whatever extent Pope, Bishops, priests, or faithful adhere to this new Church, they separate themselves from the Catholic Church...

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Archbishop Lefebvre

“Well, we are not of this religion. We do not accept this new religion. We are of the religion of all time; we are of the Catholic religion. We are not of this 'universal religion' as they call it today-this is not the Catholic religion any more. We are not of this Liberal, Modernist religion which has its own worship, its own priests, its own faith, its own catechisms, its own Bible, the 'ecumenical Bible'-these things we do not accept."

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Inlcudes Vatican II and the soon Apostate Church..."...because Fatima is a very apocalyptic message. It says that no matter what happens there are going to be terrible wars, there are going to be diseases, whole nations are going to be wiped out, there are going to be 3 days darkness, there are going to be epidemics that will wipe out whole nations overnight, parts of the earth will be washed away at sea and violent tornadoes and storms. It's not a nice message at all." Fr Malachi Martin

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Pope XII: “Suicide Of Altering the Faith In Her Liturgy…..”

"I am worried by the Blessed Virgin's messages to Lucy of Fatima. This persistence of Mary about the dangers which menace the Church is a divine warning against the suicide of altering the Faith, in Her liturgy, Her theology and Her soul. … I hear all around me innovators who wish to dismantle the Sacred Chapel, destroy the universal flame of the Church, reject Her ornaments and make Her feel remorse for Her historical past."A day will come when the civilized world will deny its God, when the Church will doubt as Peter doubted. She will be tempted to believe that man has become God. In our churches, Christians will search in vain for the red lamp where God awaits them. Like Mary Magdalene, weeping before the empty tomb, they will ask, 'Where have they taken Him?'"

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St. Bernard:

Go forth confidently then, you knights, and repel the foes of the cross of Christ with a stalwart heart. Know that neither death nor life can separate you from the love of God which is in Jesus Christ, and in every peril repeat, "Whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's." What a glory to return in victory from such a battle! How blessed to die there as a martyr! Rejoice, brave athlete, if you live and conquer in the Lord; but glory and exult even more if you die and join your Lord. Life indeed is a fruitful thing and victory is glorious, but a holy death is more important than either. If they are blessed who die in the Lord, how much more are they who die for the Lord!

How secure, I say, is life when death is anticipated without fear; or rather when it is desired with feeling and embraced with reverence! How holy and secure this knighthood and how entirely free of the double risk run by those men who fight not for Christ! Whenever you go forth, O worldly warrior, you must fear lest the bodily death of your foe should mean your own spiritual death, or lest perhaps your body and soul together should be slain by him.

Indeed, danger or victory for a Christian depends on the dispositions of his heart and not on the fortunes of war. If he fights for a good reason, the issue of his fight can never be evil; and likewise the results can never be considered good if the reason were evil and the intentions perverse. If you happen to be killed while you are seeking only to kill another, you die a murderer. If you succeed, and by your will to overcome and to conquer you perchance kill a man, you live a murderer. Now it will not do to be a murderer, living or dead, victorious or vanquished. What an unhappy victory--to have conquered a man while yielding to vice, and to indulge in an empty glory at his fall when wrath and pride have gotten the better of you!

But what of those who kill neither in the heat of revenge nor in the swelling of pride, but simply in order to save themselves? Even this sort of victory I would not call good, since bodily death is really a lesser evil than spiritual death. The soul need not die when the body does. No, it is the soul which sins that shall die.

The knight of Christ, I say, may strike with confidence and die yet more confidently, for he serves Christ when he strikes, and serves himself when he falls. Neither does he bear the sword in vain, for he is God's minister, for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of the good. If he kills an evildoer, he is not a mankiller, but, if I may so put it, a killer of evil. He is evidently the avenger of Christ towards evildoers and he is rightly considered a defender of Christians. Should he be killed himself, we know that he has not perished, but has come safely into port.

Once he finds himself in the thick of battle, this knight sets aside his previous gentleness, as if to say, "Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord; am I not disgusted with your enemies?" These men at once fall violently upon the foe, regarding them as so many sheep. No matter how outnumbered they are, they never regard these as fierce barbarians or as awe-inspiring hordes. Nor do they presume on their own strength, but trust in the Lord of armies to grant them the victory.

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Saint Athanasius

"May God console you! ... What saddens you ... is the fact that others have occupied the churches by violence, while during this time you are on the outside. It is a fact that they have the premises – but you have the Apostolic Faith. They can occupy our churches, but they are outside the true Faith. You remain outside the places of worship, but the Faith dwells within you. Let us consider: what is more important, the place or the Faith?The true Faith, obviously. Who has lost and who has won in the struggle – the one who keeps the premises or the one who keeps the Faith? True, the premises are good when the Apostolic Faith is preached there; they are holy if everything takes place there in a holy way ..."You are the ones who are happy; you who remain within the Church by your Faith, who hold firmly to the foundations of the Faith which has come down to you from Apostolic Tradition. And if an execrable jealousy has tried to shake it on a number of occasions, it has not succeeded. They are the ones who have broken away from it in the present crisis. No one, ever, will prevail against your Faith, beloved Brothers. And we believe that God will give us our churches back some day. "Thus, the more violently they try to occupy the places of worship, the more they separate themselves from the Church. They claim that they represent the Church; but in reality, they are the ones who are expelling themselves from it and going astray. Even if Catholics faithful to Tradition are reduced to a handful, they are the ones who are the true Church of Jesus Christ."